Tenrai No Yuugi The Celestial Play
by Opaaru Tsuki
Summary: Something has unnexpectedly snatched the Suzaku and Seiryu seishi out of their plane of existence and into a void between dimentions. They are connected to the minds of people in our world. How will they get back home? Will they want to? Chiri/Tasuki/Mits
1. The Book Is Rewritten by NyanNyans

_**Introduction/Disclaimer:**__ To anyone who still remembers who I am… I know. I'm a terrible authoress, I should be flayed alive and tossed into the river. Were I to float you should burn me at the stake for witchcraft. I have neglected Gin Aki and If We Could for what seems an eternity. Not for lack of love I assure you. I love my characters more than my writing skill will allow me to express. But well you see, I fell in love. Well not the way you might be thinking. Rather, I fell in love with the experience of interacting within a fanfic rather than simply writing about one within the confines of my room. I met a group of people who loved the seishi as much as I do and we formed the Role-playing Game Tenrai no Yuugi in the community Gaia Online. True I formed the plot of the game, but the world and the characters belong as much to the players as they do to me. Like many fanciful creations. Tenrai evolved into something onto itself. The plot twists the and different minds of the players made for one of the greatest stories I'd ever been a part of. Alas all things come to an end, and Tenrai no Yuugi is no more. Artistic differences are to blame but, geeky as it might sound, I still long for the late night RP-ing sessions and greatly mourn the untapped potential that died before it was revealed. And so I create this fan fic, it's more of a narrative of what's already written. Like most fic writers I'll probably take liberties with the characters and in more than one instance I will make the tale my own. But as our belligerent Sam would say: "Fuck you. No one asked you to stay." Crude, but it gets the point across. I hope you will all enjoy reading this story as much as I did creating it. And so…the curtain rises…_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 1 - ****The Book Is Rewritten...by Nyan-Nyans.**

**Location: Mt. Taikyoku ****  
****Time: 6:30pm**** Konan Standard Time**

A gaggle (yes gaggle) of Nyan-nyans wandered idly through the corridors. For some reason Taiitsu-kun was in a bad mood. Well to be fair, Taiitsu-kun hadn't been in a good mood since she turned 500,000. Apparently the joke Byakko had played on her at her birthday party had resulted in the toppling over the 500k candles on the cake. The ensuing flames set fire to half of Atlantis which Seiryu, in all his divine wisdom, put out by causing the sea to rise. Neither kami was ever worshipped in that section of the planet again, except of course by those weird little land mammals that venerate that date by running around as if they were on fire and then hurling themselves into the sea where they inevitably drown...but I digress.

After failed attempts to fix the old baba's face followed by spontaneous visits to the moon courtesy of the creator's mallet, the Nyan-Nyans had been banished from the main hall. So now, the overly chipper group of little girls was only mildly happy, and that was very sad for a Nyan-Nyan indeed.

"This is boring," exclaimed Nyan-Nyan1 to which the others quickly agreed.

"Yeah, ever since the gods were all summoned, all Taiitsu-kun does is lock herself up in her room," complained Nyan-Nyan2, and several half hearted agreements bubbled through the little group.

"I miss Chichiri," cried Nyan-Nyan1.

"I miss Tasuki," cried Nyan-Nyan2.

"I miss Nuriko," cried Nyan-Nyan3.

"I miss Hotohori," cried Nyan-Nyan4.

"I miss Miaka!" yelled Nyan-Nyan5, after which the writer of this fic made some random heavy object fall on the lonely Nyan-Nyan. The others stared at their companion who was now squished under an upside down SUV, but then resumed their walk through the halls. They suddenly stopped before a large set of double doors that led into the mirror room.

"We had so much fun when they were all here," sighed Nyan-Nyan3 recalling the movie-like sessions they enjoyed gazing into glass.

"Yeah, it's all over though," said Nyan-Nyan2.

The group trekked into the mirror room and just sort of stared at the large empty looking glass before them.

"Lets turn it on and see what they're doing!" squealed Nyan-Nyan1 as she ran towards the mirror. The tip of her small index finger glowed and she pressed it against the smooth glass. The mirror came to life flickering with white snow.

"No, no, you haven't got it tuned!" exclaimed Nyan-Nyan4 as she scampered towards the flickery mirror. She too pressed her fingers against the glass and the image focused somewhat.

"It's showing the wrong universe," pouted Nyan-Nyan1, "let me try."

"It's not the wrong universe, it's just a little blurry!" insisted Nyan-Nyan4

"It's showing a cat mowing the lawn, it is the wrong universe!"

"Hey stop that, you're pouring too much energy into the glass you're going to break it."

"I am not."

"Ew, now it's all slimy. I told you not to put so much into it."

"It'll wear off soon."

As their two sisters argued, Nyan-Nyan2 and 3 settled down on the pillow that was usually reserved for Taiitsu-kun. Nyan-Nyan2 suddenly felt something jab at her from beneath the cushion. She reached down and pulled out two scrolls, one blue one red.

"Hey guys lookit what I found!" Nyan-Nyan2 called out.

The mirror abruptly stopped flipping back and forth between universes as all the Nyan-Nyans gathered 'round the scrolls.

"What are they?" asked Nyan-Nyan1 as Nyan-Nyan2 unfurled each scroll.

"It's the universe of the four gods!" squealed Nyan-Nyan4, "Taiitsu-kun must be re-writing them see? They're blank except for the warrior symbols."

"Lemme see," said Nyan-Nyan1 yanking the scroll.

"Hey I didn't get to see the scrolls yet!" yelled Nyan-Nyan3

"Be careful you're going to rip them," shouted Nyan-Nyan2.

"Stop yelling we are not!" shrieked Nyan-Nyan4.

Rrrriiip

Four very quiet little girls suddenly stood in the mirror room. Bits of paper were clutched in their fists.

"Uh-oh," whispered Nyan-Nyan1, "you guys ripped them."

"We're in trouble..."

"Quick let's put them back together!" said Nyan-Nyan4. Instantly the little girls got to work. Little glows of ki shone within the chamber as they glued the pieces back together.

Quiet mumbles such as:  
"Amiboshi...I remember him he was nice, I think I'll put him next to Chiriko..."

Revealed what kind of a job they were doing. After a several minutes they stepped back and examined their work.

"Uh, aren't they supposed to be the same size...and shape?" asked Nyan-Nyan3.

"Taiitsu-kun's not going to like this..." warned Nyan-Nyan2.

"Maybe if we roll them up she won't notice," donated Nyan-Nyan4. Once rolled the scrolls looked even less convincing.

"Okay, who glued Amiboshi and Tomo in with Suzaku?" demanded Nyan-Nyan1, "Great, now we have blue paper in the red scroll!"

Very quietly, Nyan-Nyan3 picked up the scrolls and floated up towards the wood beams overhead.

"What are you doing?" asked Nyan-Nyan2.

"Taiitsu-kun won't get mad if she can't find them," stated Nyan-Nyan3 as she used her powers to hollow out a nook in the ceiling directly above the mirror. After stowing away the mangled scrolls, she floated back down to her sisters, "lets get out of here!"

"Hai!"

With a pop the little girls were gone and the cool marble floored room was quite once more...almost. The mirror continued to glow showing the picture of a town and people. The image rippled as if the glass was slowly liquefying. Finally, the mirror erupted in a series of nasty sparks and energy beams. It shook the walls and loosed the spell that kept the it mounted upon the wall. With a crash, the looking glass tumbled down to the floor intact, but still spewing energy. Far overhead the scrolls jarred loose and fluttered down onto the explosion. When the paper touched the liquefied glass it let loose a blinding light. The carefully glued seams then came apart releasing even more energy into the eruption of sparks. The mirror's surface now bubbled violently and at the same time it was absorbing the tattered scrolls. Soon, it had swallowed them into its churning depths. Pictures of faces then rippled in and out of focus.

Chichiri...  
Chiriko...  
Hotohori...  
Mitsukake...  
Nuriko...  
Tasuki...  
Tamahome...  
Amiboshi...  
Ashitare...  
Miboshi...  
Nakago...  
Soi...  
Suboshi...  
Tomo...

Each soul was suddenly snatched from their world and hurled through the emptiness. They sped through the nothingness between the worlds, through the fabric of space and time as the mirror's power sought to place them within the world the scrolls had fallen into.

The bubbling surface of the mirror then contracted. A clear signal that it's power was failing. As the energy contained within it faded, the glass solidified and rattled in it's frame. The fourteen seishi veered off their steady course and began to slow. The mirror struggled to finish its task but it was clear that it could not handle the strain. The glass suddenly shattered with a crisp, clean breaking sound. The chamber darkened once more, only the silent smoke attested to what had just happened.

High above an alien universe, the atmosphere became heavy with the ripe smell of energy. A flit of light danced among the lavender tinted clouds as glowing pieces of blue and red paper fluttered down from the sky to the city below…


	2. Miko for a Day

**A/N:**If I had to choose a song for this chap it is What About Everything? by Carbon Leaf. This song just gets to me for some reason, I guess it's because of the Doctor Who AMV on Youtube.

Inner O.T.: I LOVE THAT MAN!! I WOULD LEAVE CHICHIRI IN AN INSTANT IF HE POPPED INTO MY LIFE!!

Chichiri: Oi!

O.T.: -cough- Just kidding Chiri I would NEVER leave you! smile smile

Inner O.T.: DOCTOR I'M HERE TAKE ME FOR PHONE BOOTH INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL WITH YOUUUU!!

Chichiri: -migraine- Lets just start the fic now no da.

Good idea! But sexy Time Lord Doctor aside, this song just fits and makes me think of how a thousand insignificant things can add up to something valuable. pokes her charies You lives add up to something great after all! Hee! So without further stalling, here it goes…

I dedicate this chapter to my only reviewer, Inuphantom. YOU EQUALS LUFF!! –wow that was terrible English sweatdrop-

**

* * *

**

Chapter 1 – Miko for a Day

_Get away and come with me._

_Come away with me and we'll see_

_If I was right on that night, that a future was made_

_Before time takes each year, like a knife cuts it clear_

_It's school, then work and then life that just sharpens the blade_

_I think about time for fun. I think about time for play_

_Then I think about being done, with no resume_

_With no one left to blame_

_What about fortune and fame?_

_What about your love to obtain?_

_What about the ring?_

_What about..._

_What about everything?_

_What about aeroplanes? _

_And what about ships that drank the sea?_

_What about..._

_What about the moon and stars? What about soldier battle scars_

_And all the anger that they eat?_

_I am not in need._

_**- What About Everything by Carbon Leaf**_

Opaaru stared out the train window. The changing scenery was slowly coming to a stop. She was a few hours early, not that it really mattered she had nothing planned for that afternoon, or tomorrow's, or the day after that. In fact, other than going to school and, occasionally, work she had nothing planned. She yawned as the metallic screech of brakes filled the cabin and brought the train to an abrupt halt. The faint sterile scent of carpet cleaner and rubber teased her senses and seemed to cling to her as she gathered her things.

_End of the line... _she thought, _story of my life_. She blinked dark gray eyes behind rectangular spectacles. Sunlight momentarily blinded in the fraction of a second it took the clear lenses of her glasses to fog into a dark shady tint. she stepped out and onto the platform. The constant whirring of the large locomotive hissed every so often as if snapping for everyone to get off and let it be on its way. Soon she became part of a herd of commuters that were eager to reach home. She plodded silently, the weight of her backpack discreetly reminding her of the hours of homework ahead. From far over head she heard the rustle of paper.

"Somebody must have dropped their briefcase," she muttered and fingered the twenty that had somehow miraculously survived the week. Her eyes spotted a familiar little restaurant in front of the station. With a lighter step, she headed towards the nearly empty building. She did not notice the strange lights across the clouds or the bit red of parchment that became caught in her backpack's buckles.

Once inside, she found a nice dark little niche. There were several schools nearby and the place would soon be overrun by hungry and _loud _students, it would be better to stay out of the way. No sooner had she settled down when the laptop flipped open. Her fingers flew over the keys pausing here and there to correct previous errors. With luck she might get her homework done by midnight…but not at the moment. Right now, she was more worried about finding a more interesting turn of phrase than "see-through wings".

"Gauzy…? Translucent?" she muttered as she mercilessly exploited the thesaurus. As of late shift+F7 (the shortcut key-in for thesaurus) had been her only savior.

Not far from where she was, a different person was winding down his day. It had been a miserable and utterly pointless day at work for Hakkai.

"If I didn't need the money..." he sighed and then realized how stupid a phrase that had been. The whole point of working was to get money, only now he was tired and stressed. His stomach rumbled. Make that tired, stressed, and hungry. He veered to the right towards a small diner. He entered the small café followed by a small herd of students. _Oh great, more noise._ His fingers itched for a cigarette as the chatting students increased his stress level exponentially. _Damn, I picked a bad year to quit_. He glared at a particularly high pitched blonde near his usual table. She was coated in about two layers of glitter and he wondered if it would be such a great crime to strangle her in public. Hakkai was about to order when he saw a familiar face.

"Opaaru? Hey Opa! Over here!" he waved to catch her attention, "you're home early."

The secluded girl peered over the rim of her laptop before recognition flickered in her eyes. She hit the save button and closed the electronic shackle that was her PC.

"Yo," she greeted him as she made her way to his table. "Didn't have the last class, so I got an earlier train. How was work? D'you have fun?" she asked in a deceptively sweet tone. She knew very well what work did to Hakkai's nerves, but Opaaru enjoyed tormenting her friend.

He sighed and gave her a pointed look as the waitress deposited Opaaru's order on the table and scurried back to the hectic kitchen.

"About as much fun as you in a Hillary Duff movie."

Opaaru rolled her eyes. "I could have fun in a Hilary Duff movie, as long as I had a hockey mask and a chainsaw," she grinned. She then took a big bite out of her burger. "Writin' nohvehl, need the moneh," she explained through her mouthful.

Hakkai snorted, she _would _find something twisted to say. He cocked his head as she explained about her writing with her mouth full.

"You're so very lady-like Opa, so refined," he drawled, "it's a wonder you're still single what with your impeccable manners."

Opaaru responded by tossing a crumpled napkin at the boy and giving a fake scowl. She menacingly toyed with her steak knife.

"You know there are pointy objects within hand's reach," she informed him sweetly, "Or smart at that."

"Stop the presses, I think a murder is about to be committed," he replied dryly. By now he was used to her empty threats and behavior that bordered on… well madness was the only real way to describe it.

Opaaru's attention moved on as she became bored with threatening him. It was no fun to threaten anyone who did not actually believe she would go through with it on some level. Hakkai had known her for too long to take anything she said seriously. Hell, he'd gone to the point where he reacted to her quips as if she had commented on the weather.

Speaking of which, there was something definitely off in the atmosphere. There was a faint vibration on the air as if it were charged with ions. Opa quickly discarded the feeling to the change in seasons, though the clouds in the sky were to thinly spread out to be anything but decorative.

_Changes in barometric pressure can cause irritability in the population..._ the voice of her high school Bio AP teacher chanted in her head. Nevertheless, deep in her bones she felt a shift. As if the whole earth had suddenly stepped aside just a few millimeters… just enough for her to feel off… just enough to send a chill down her spine.

* * *

It was a calm, quiet day. The lake waters were so still its surface looked like glass, marred only by the small imperfections made by skating-bugs and the fish that ate them.

A figure sat on an convenient outcropping of rock, so still as to seem like a statue. A statue that was singing softly to itself.

Chichiri knew he shouldn't sing. The harmonics and vibrations from his voice might scare away any fish that came near his lure. But... it was such a _nice_ day, he just couldn't help himself.

"..._meguriawase... hitotsu machigaeba... itoshisa sae... toge ni natte shimau..._"

After all, the point of his fishing wasn't to actually catch fish. That was just an added bonus, sometimes. So, why not sing?

He was cut off mid-lyric by what felt like a sharp tug at his navel. His head snapped up, mahogany eye narrowing. Something was wrong. He scanned the surrounding forest searching for the attacker. Another mage perhaps? A demon? But there was no one there, no one to sense. The tugging sensation increased, seeming to threaten to cut him in half. It was as if the cosmos were churning and fighting to spit him out. Chichiri cried out, closing his eye against a sudden wave of dizziness that threatened to make him vomit. A silent arctic wind pulled at his clothes and hair as he was dragged by some unseen force. Ice gripped his limbs in sharp jagged fingers.

Then, just as he thought he might freeze to death in this violent embrace, the tugging stopped and all was still. The monk opened his eye, looking cautiously around him at... nothing. There was nothing at all. It was as if he'd never opened his eye at all. Chichiri shut his eye and opened it again. Still nothing. It was odd. He could feel his arms and legs, feel his face if he touched it, the fabric of the mask covering a long-concealed scar...

He opened his eye again and waved his hand in front of his face. Nothing. Was he blind? Had some unknown aggressor cast a spell on him to take away his sight? If so, why wasn't the attack continuing? What kind of spell had that been? Was he unconscious? Was he going mad? ...or had the wind been the attack and this was what happened when you died?

He shook his head. What he thought of as his head, anyway. It _felt_ like his head so therefore it must be... He cut off his increasingly chaotic thoughts. This was stupid. Either he was alive, or wasn't. He felt alive, so he must be.

Chichiri "leaned" back, bringing his arms to rest behind his head, and waited. Meanwhile, somewhere in Konan, more than a thousand worlds away, a fishing pole slid into the calm waters of the lake, pulled in by a fish that had finally taken the bait.

* * *

Opaaru had been about to make another joking remark to Hakkai when she felt the buzzing increase. She shut her eyes and took off her glasses but the vibration continued. Bits of images cluttered her vision as if she were watching a badly recorded film. A lake she had never seen... a peaceful forest then...a scream in the darkness. No it hadn't been _in_ the darkness it had been before. Just before the nothingness.

The vision repeated over and over each time the darkness took longer to dissipate into the forest scene until at last there was only the black void. Then as abruptly as it had taken her the visions left. She took a shaky breath and excused herself with a barely discernable mumble as she made her way to the restrooms. Hakkai watched her leave with a puzzled expression but soon overlooked the departure as a nice looking waitress arrived with an even nicer-looking plate of food.

Opaaru entered the empty rosy-porcelain encrusted room in a daze. She took off her glasses with a flick of her wrist and splashed cool water on her face.

"What the heck was that?" she asked her reflection in the mirror. In that moment she looked down. Under the rubber heel of her shoe was a piece of crimson paper, but the odd part was, the thing was glowing. She stared at the bit of parchment curiously and then reached for it.

"Well I'll be a Salem witch, it's bloody parchment alright," she murmured as her fingers closed around it. Where the hell did anyone _get_parchment anymore? She suddenly felt an electric jolt spill onto her fingertips followed by someone's voice questioning the effects of an afterlife. It was a male voice.

"Who the hell said that and what are you doing in the women's bathroom?!" she snapped taking a fighting stance. She had no formal training on hand to hand combat, her specialty was fencing, but it was amazing what damage she could do when she was cornered. She wasn't about to fall to some creepy peeping tom without a fight.

"Answer me," she demanded looking around wildly.

Chichiri "sat up" with a start. _What the...?_

"Women's bathroom? Nani no da?" he asked the void. Where had that voice come from? _Is someone else here no da?_

"Are you trapped here, too, no da?" he asked.

Opaaru blinked. Trapped? Was this guy stuck in the vent or something? She stared up at the AC ducts. _Oh buddy you are __**sick**__._

"How can you be trapped the door is right there..." she began in an excuse to get him to talk again. Maybe then she could locate him, and then proceed to beat the living snot out of him. Just then a sharp pain stabbed her right behind the eyeballs she doubled over and rammed the heel of her palms into her eye sockets. Once the pain had receded she blinked. Everything was blurry since her glasses had clattered to the floor. She grumbled something about migraines and pervy waiters as she slid the bridge connecting the two lenses up the bridge of her nose.

Opaaru then turned and spotted her reflection in the mirror...only it wasn't her reflection, not completely. There was a man's figure superimposed on her's.

"HOLY...!" She jumped ten feet in the air. "Who the hell are you?!"

She then spotted the outlandishly strange clothes and the even odder face that seemed to give her a permanent Cheshire smile. It was unsettling, like staring at a ghost. Wait, a transparent being only she could see, that asked if she were trapped. Trapped where? Her body?

"Oh my god! How are you inside… and see through are you… OH SHIT! You're the grim reaper aren't you?!" she yelped before examining him closer, "Huh, funny, I'd thought you'd be taller- I mean…Ah! Forgive me you honorable darkness sir! I didn't mean it like that. Listen I know you probably get this a lot but I'm too young to die! I'm sorry about setting fire to the empty lot and I'm didn't really mean to run over my neighbor's Chihuahua. Well, not really, I mean granted the thing just wouldn't shut up but it was running towards my car so you can't really hold that one against me! Okay, I shouldn't have hit the gas, that was uncalled for, but couldn't we work something out?!"

Chichiri was not really listening, he was actually staring at his reflection. He hadn't seen this clearly for ages. Losing an eye did not improve one's depth perception. The view made him feel slightly dizzy after so long, but what really worried him was that he was superimposed on the girl in the mirror. He came out of his musings to realize she was still talking.

"Da? Oh! No, no, no, I'm not the Grim Reaper no da!" he held up his hands in what he hoped was a calming gesture. "I'm just a wandering monk and… oh dear no da."

It suddenly sunk in that he was trapped not in some no-space, but a girl's body. A slight blush tainted his face. Opaaru stared at the transparent blue haired man in the mirror. A monk in a mirror. _Damn, I knew I should have read __**Through the Looking Glass** all the way through._She took a deep breath. _Okay Opa, get a grip. People don't suddenly pop up in mirrors…except two-way mirrors._ She glared at the smiley-faced man. Oh she was going to enjoy pounding this one into the ground. She slowly approached the glass as if it were marked hazardous, with a quick motion she tapped the surface suspiciously.

"Wandering monk you say?" she began with a skeptical smile, "I was sure there weren't any of those around anymore. What so you're trying to tell me you just 'wandered' in here? Is this like a popular pilgrimage spot or something?"

Her voice was dripping sarcasm. Not that he could blame her, they appeared to be in a sort of bath house. So much for a good first impression.

"I don't think…anou…I…I really don't know what's going on," he stammered as he got the gist of what she was insinuating. She had tapped the mirror and then retracted her hand as if it would bite her. "What are you doing that for no da?"

Opaaru gave him a wary look before silently walking towards the light switch not once taking her eyes off the man in the mirror.

"Just making sure..." she trailed off as she flipped off the light. She stared at the darkness and turned the light back on. "Ok, it's not a two way mirror..." she sighed almost wistfully before looking up at the ceiling tiles, "Welp it's official, I've gone crazy. I suppose it's not exactly a BIG surprise, Hakkai always told me this was going to happen to me eventually. But I was sure I had at least five more years -a decade if I was lucky- before I became a danger to society. Honestly, if I knew this was going to happen today I would have crammed a little more stuff into my morning schedule, would've taken the day off..." she babbled staring into space.

Chichiri grinned and cleared his throat to hide a small chuckle. He knew it was not the time to laugh. Nevertheless, despite all of his problems at the moment, (i.e. being apparently ethereal and not having any idea what caused this) he was finding the situation rather amusing.

"I can assure you, you're not crazy," he said with bemused lilt to his words, "you see if you were crazy then that would mean I would be crazy too, which I certainly am not."

Opaaru snorted "I am but mad north-north-west; when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw," she muttered and Chichiri wonder if he had perhaps spoken too soon. Noticing his hesitation she leaned against the counter, "It's Shakespeare, Hamlet to be exact."

He gave her a blank look. "Anou… we don't really need spears, and I don't really eat ham anymore no da."

"It's not-" she shook her head before dropping the subject. She continued in a brighter tone, "You know what, that's not important! This conversation voids any of your assurances about my mental!"

She slumped against the sink pondering if it was really all that bad to live in a padded cell. "Well as long as I'm talking to it…" something crumpled and she looked at her hand.

"Hey I'm not an it no da!" he exclaimed as his line of vision went down with hers.

Opa's fingers were still holding the crumpled parchment, but it had ceased to glow and now seemed like any old piece of red paper. She carefully examined it and saw a symbol of some sort written upon it. Chichiri felt his heart stop. _That's-!_

"The number sign," she murmured.

"This is worse than I though," he breathed under his breath, "Anou, Opaaru, that's not a number sign, that's my kanji no da."

Opaaru was about to ask for more information when she realized her hallucination was correcting her. She frowned. Nuts to that! If she must be insane she would be in charge of her insanity.

"Let's get one thing straight mister I-haunt-women's-bathrooms, **I'm**in charge of my own madness! So don't start getting any ideas about driving me to kill anyone! Unless we're both in agreement on the victim, I refuse to become a psycho killer! You're MY delusion and in MY head! I'll call you IT if I want," she crossed her arms and finished with a huff. She then paused. Maybe just giving in a teensy bit wouldn't hurt.

"Ok, how is it your kanji exactly?" she asked.

He sweat dropped as she snapped at him in an attempt to keep him subdued. This was certainly… new. Were women in this world always so snappish? Miaka hadn't seemed so bossy. She had been accident prone and attracted trouble like a magnet, yes but never particularly domineering, and he wasn't even going to touch the psycho killing rant. Just how safe was he anyway?

"Well it's complicated," he began tentatively lest she snap at him again, "but, basically that symbol is one of seven. It is the mark of a god. His name is Suzaku, and I'm one of his seven holy warriors. That symbol is assigned to me."

Opaaru rested her chin on her fists as the Mirror Man (as she had dubbed him) explained. Ironically, his story sounded like something she would have written. Well considering still didn't completely believe he wasn't some hallucination, perhaps it was not that ironic.

"You would make an awesome charie for one of my novels," she commented as if she had not heard his explanation, "so tell me Mirror Man, if you're some holy warrior, do you have powers or something?"

Chichiri fidgeted under her stare, he felt a lot as if he were on display at the market. This must be what produce felt like on the stands. He squared his shoulders and smiled in what he hoped was a confident manner. He'd faced down seven Seiryu warriors surely he could handle this one girl.

"Uh, yes, actually, I can teleport and cast spells and barriers," he replied, "by the way did I mention my name is Chichiri no da?" he added in a hopeful tone. Being called 'mirror man' was a little embarrassing.

"Chichiri eh? So… what can I do for you _Chichiri_?" she emphasized the strange name as if trying it on for size.

The mage sighed and ran his hand through his hair pushing his azure bangs back. They slicked back before immediately springing forward to their original position. Opaaru tilted her head and smirked. _For a guy living in my head, he's actually kinda cute. Would that all my madness was that easy on the eyes._She stared down at the piece of red parchment still in her hand and fingered the ragged edges. Her eyes sort of glazed over as they did every time she was brainstorming.

"Ok, lets say I believe all of this, which I'm not admitting I do, but for argument's sake lets say so," she clarified as her mind tuned into author mode, "If this were some plot I was writing I guess the first thing I'd say is that you're not from around here. This paper, I should mention, was glowing right before you did your little Leafe Knight apparition. So you and this paper are somehow connected. So far I'm getting four hypothesis:

1) I was you in a past life and am now having a little enlightenment session...in that case hello me nice to meet me.

2) You were part of a spell that went horribly wrong.

3) I've had a total mental breakdown and my fictional characters have finally turned into one hell of a complex schizo.

4) You've had a total mental breakdown in which case I'm the fictional character and you're the schizo... don't really like that one.

…and then there's:

5) You're some guy with access to some wicked fiber optic technology which I would kill to get my hands on.

I really don't believe in one. Two is highly impossible, and I think I like 3 better than 4. If 5 is the case then dude, there are better ways, not to mention places, to pick up a girl."

She then laughed at the sheer irrationality of the universe. "So what say you Mirror-chan...er...Chichiri."

Chichiri sighed as she narrowed what had happened to him down to five choices.

"As impossible as it may seem to you, Opaaru-chan, I do believe choice two was the correct one na no da." In fact, choice two was the _only_possible one. He'd never heard of these "fibers-otiks", though it sounded painful. Simply judging by the way she'd said "schizo" he took it to mean madness and he was convinced he wasn't one. Which could only mean that something had gone wrong at home. Some sort of spell had gone haywire, dragging him into the null-space and connecting him to Opaaru. Worse still someone might have cast this spell purposefully. He hated not knowing. Surely there had to be a limit on how much a person could go through. All he'd wanted was to retire peacefully in the countryside, fish and get some sunlight. After everything he'd been through, did he deserve that small courtesy from the cosmos? _The paper has my symbol no da._

Opaaru sighed, "Damn I was kind of hoping for five. Could have had some real fun with that."

"Opaaru-chan, is there any other writing on the paper no da?" he asked determined to get out of his mental rut and definitely **not** start sulking at his predicament.

She flipped over the bit of paper but found nothing. "Sorry, nothing there…" she bit her lip before continuing, "you know this might go a lot smoother if we were on the same page."

"Da?" he asked tilting his head.

"I mean, well, I don't believe you. It would be a lot simpler if we just determined you were real or some guy playing a trick don't you agree?" she asked in a neutral term though she mentally cooed at his Da-ing, "Wait, you said you had powers so give me a demonstration. Read my mind or something, and then I'll know, if not… well my lunch is getting cold while I have this little conversation."

"Anou…" Chichiri didn't know if his magic worked in this world, but, maybe if he concentrated enough this link they shared would let him read her mind. It was worth a shot, he had to convince her he was not tricking her, as of now, she was probably the only one who could help him out of this mess. He concentrated and brought up his hands together raising his index and middle fingers together. He tapped the surface of her mind, then smirked uncharacteristically.

"Opaaru-chan, I'm flattered no da!" he teased, "It's not very often someone thinks I'm 'cute' no da."

Opaaru blinked and stared. And then blinked again. The shock was overpowering but passed in an instant. He'd actually read her mind, what's more she could physically feel the link establish between the two minds. No amount of technology could begin to tap into what she felt. _Read me now mirror-boy... _she mentally switched on the video she had seen at a bloodless surgery seminar involving open heart surgery. _"__...after the ribs have been pulled back to expose the heart we will then..."_she cut off the image.

"Okay, I believe you," she chuckled before exclaiming, "this is so incredibly awesome!"

She pumped her fist, "TAKE THAT LAWS OF PHYSICS! I can totally redefine quantum mechanics! Wait til they get a load of you over at the University! Intradimentional gateways… no INTERdimentional! The multiverse hypothesis bumped to a theory! Who knows maybe even time stream dilations! Do you have any idea how big this is?! So far it's all been hypothetical! We have just trashed about 100 years of subatomic research! Oh man! I'll get the Pulitzer, no the Nobel Prize! I'll totally pwn Einstein! And to think I..." she stopped short realizing she was talking _nerd_again, "...erm... heh...ah...ignore all I just said."

Chichiri had blanched at the image of a bloody heart pumping as someone bent back the rib cage. Where had that image come from?! Luckily, he was still listening to her excited speech. His eyes widened as she mentioned the University and showing him to people.

"Opaaru-chan, I really don't think you should tell anyone about this no da. They'd think you were crazy na no da!" he said, grimacing. _That, and I don't want my presence known in this world... it might be dangerous for both of us no da!_

"But..." she trailed off and sighed. He was probably right. Well that discarded madness, none of her fictional characters would be as sensible as him. "Although, I'm quite sure most people already think that about me, but you're right I'd need a little more than 'I-have-a..." she trailed off and studied his reflection, "...20-ish-year-old-guy-from-a-different-dimention-living-in-my-head' to get funding. And lets not forget they might want to-"

Study him…

…like a lab rat. Damn, that ruled off ever showing to anyone then. Life was just not fair sometimes.

She stretched and discreetly observed him. No, even though she'd just met him, she just didn't have it in her to curse someone with that fate. Oh sure, they'd claim to be humane about it, but there was a wrongness associated with studying someone without their consent.

"Ok Chichiri, I'm sure you'll be wanting to get out of my head as soon as possible. And you're the guy with the experience in this kind of stuff. What should I do first?"

"I have no idea, this has never happened before," he replied dejectedly.

"Ah well… there's a cry for research if ever I heard one," she replied straightening, "you feel up to the challenge?"

He perked up a little at her confident tone. "You really think we might be able to figure it out?" he asked hopefully.

"Well not in the bathroom," she replied wryly, "but Kyle hasn't failed me yet."

She walked back to the table with a new sense of purpose in her stride. Chichiri took everything in with quiet awe. He'd only briefly experienced being in Miaka's world, and even then, most of it was on fire. But here he could see the normal everyday lives of the people. He cocked his head as he saw all sorts of strange items and food. Was that drink slushy? That one was green, that looked like bread on a stick.

Opaaru was oblivious to Chichiri's wonder as she took a seat. Hakkai raised an eyebrow to which Opa winked.

"Hokay!" she exhaled, "Nothing like a life changing trip to the bathroom to get a girl motivated." She grinned and flexed her fingers in anticipation.

"Hey, Chichiri meet my boyfriend Kyle. No not the idiot with the mustard on his nose," she reached for her discarded Laptop and flipped it open. The screen lighted up and played a welcome tune. "This is Kyle, my totally loyal and obedient boyfriend. Say hello Kyle." She clicked on the Internet Icon and the screened changed.

"Welcome beloved..." a rich velvety voice replied, "You have three unread messages... also there are downloadable updates…"

Chichiri watched in amazement as what he perceived to be a folding slate powered up and spoke. It was possessed! It had to be, maybe this world had demons trapped in their items and forced them to do mundane chores! Powerful magic indeed! And this demon was called Kah-eel. He'd make a note of that, with demons name had power. It would come in handy if ever he had to purify her slate.

Hakkai was gave Opaaru a strange look as he wiped his nose absently. "Why are you talking to yourself? Did you accidentally flush what was left of your sanity down the drain?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you Hakkai..." she sighed and logged onto Google, "ok first things first Chiri-kun, who are you and where are you from?"

Chichiri was slightly put-off by the way Opaaru seemed to be oblivious to the fact that her friend couldn't see or hear him. "My name is Chichiri and I am a Suzaku no seishi. I come from Konan no da." He waited to see what the demon-tablet would say.

_I can hear him Chichiri, I just choose to ignore him. Hey wait a minute, I just read your mind didn't I? HAHA! This mind-reading goes both ways!_

"Ahhahaha... I suppose I should have figured it would no da..." Chichiri said, scratching the back of his head.He made a mental note to not openly project his thoughts.

_Yeah that could be embarrassing for both of_ _us_, agreed Opaaru causing Chichiri to blush since she wasn't supposed to have heard that thought.

"Opa, I've listened to your theories and rants before, there is nothing you can say that will surprise me..." insisted Hakkai effectively returning her attention to the real world, "…and do you have to put that thing on the table? You're not even done eating."

"Hakkai, it's too complicated."

Her friend stared at her expectantly as he casually sipped his drink. She felt his eyes on her which irritated her. However, she knew he wouldn't let up until she spilled what he wanted to know.

"I went into the bathroom and through a spell gone wrong a guy from a different dimension found a nice little corner of my head to settle down in. Now I'm trying to check and see if there's anyway to reverse it. There, happy?!" she snapped and waited for his response.

"So…" he replied as he calmly took a bite of his food and swallowed, "what's his name?"

"'What's his name?' That's all you have to say?" she asked dryly, "It's Chichiri."

Hakkai chewed his food carefully before his next reply, "Well Opa, the story's a little overdone, but then it's better than when you came up to us and stated you were Napoleon reincarnated. If I recall correctly, you threatened to have the pizza boy beheaded and fed to the dogs if he was late. Compared to that, this seems pretty mild. Hmm… Chichiri… Sounds familiar, probably from an anime judging by the Asian name. Now Opa, no fair plagiarizing your imaginary friends," he chided wagging a finger at her.

_Anime?_Chichiri shook his head. Whatever that was, it wasn't important, and yet…

"How could Hakkai have heard my name before no da?" he asked Opaaru. Something in his gut told him he might not exactly like the answer.

"Suzaku," she murmured. Now that she thought about it, she'd heard that name before. Her eyes widened. "Yu-Yu Hakusho! Oh it's been AGES since I saw that!" She clicked on a few links and the demon beast god popped up. "The demon Saint Beasts of Maze Castle…" she whispered as a gif of a blonde man with red bangs electrocuted a young boy.

"Suzaku's a demon lord!" she all but screamed which caused some of the waiters to look at her with an odd expression. "And you… You're one of his holy warriors… AGH! I've been possessed and you're trying to make me free your master!"

She grabbed her head Chibily and yowled.

Chichiri sighed, feeling a migraine coming on, in a way, this was harder than dealing with Tasuki. _I wonder if she'll get my headache_, he wondered idly. "Calm down, no da. Suzaku is _not_a demon lord no da! He's a god who presides over love and emotion! And he most definitely does _not_look like that no da."

Hakkai rolled his eyes, and tried not to laugh. "Opa, I seriously doubt you're possessed. What demon in its right mind would take your body? Besides if it were Suzaku out to enslave mankind again there would be makai insects... oh and zombiefyed people definitely and a flute somewhere in there too."

"It's not funny! I know he changes forms and, ugh I hate bugs..." she took a deep breath, "Suzaku calls himself a god but is in actuality a demon that gave himself that title. He's one of the four beasts, um..." she clicked on a webpage links and more images blipped up, "...Seiryu, Byakko and Genbu being the others who were sealed in Maze Castle for all eternity. Lord Koenma sent Yusuke, Kuabara, Hiei and Kurama to take care of them when Suzaku caught hold of a flute that controlled zombifying insects..."

Chichiri smacked his palm against his forehead. This had gone too far for his taste. It was one thing to call him a hallucination, but he would not stand for anyone to blaspheme against his god by calling him a demon even if it was done in ignorance.

"Zombified bugs no da?! I don't know what you're talking about, but I _do_ know that there are _no_zombified bugs in Konan na no da! Now, calm down!" his voice had lowered in pitch making him sound more menacing than he'd intended. "I'm just as in the dark as you are, but I will not sit here quietly while you slander my god, Opaaru. Now, if you really want to learn _anything_about the four gods, look up the religion and not this... this... anime!" He sighed, calming down. "Forgive me, but I have no patience for this charlatan 'Suzaku' demon lord."

Opaaru visibly cringed. Hakkai noticed and became serious, he was getting worried now. Opa was eccentric but this was different, he felt it somehow in her reactions. Maybe she _had_ lost it.

"Calm down Opa," he said in the most soothing voice he could, "you're taking this a bit too far for a joke. Besides, if bothered to remember, Yusuke killed Suzaku when Keiko's life was threatened. Kurama diced Genbu, Kuabara dumped Byakko in a vat of magma, and Hiei diced Seiryu even with a frozen leg. So you see, you can't be possessed by Suzaku's demon warriors, because, well, Suzaku's dead."

"Not to mention I'm not a 'demon warrior' no da," Chichiri muttered under his breath still a little miffed no one seemed to be paying any attention to him.

Opaaru closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Chichiri had resorted to snarling using his 'creepy' voice which had succeeded in intimidating her into silence. Now _that_was an almost forgotten experience, and by the way didn't help his I'm-not-a-demon claim. Hakkai on the other hand, was being condescending. She sighed and looked at the screenshots on her laptop. She dumped the files in her recycling bin with a few quick keystrokes.

Chichiri waited in the silence, it suddenly dawned on him that if Opaaru didn't want to help him there was nothing he could do to change that. Perhaps shouting at his only hope hadn't been such a hot idea. He fidgeted as the mental stillness seemed to stretch on.

"Anou… Opaaru no da?" he squeaked.

_Ok, I'm sorry if I insulted your god. This is all just a little… new to me,_ she replied with a sigh. _I guess, I don't know what to think or do._

"It's okay Opaaru-chan, I'm sorry I got upset with you no da," he replied softly, making a mental note that if he ever got out of the void he would make it up to her.

She cleared her throat and decided to give the internet another go. "Ok Kyle show me what you can do… 'Konan'… 'Suzaku'… 'Chichiri'…" turning to her friend she gave him a pointed look, "I haven't lost it Hakkai, if that's what you're insinuating. I told you you wouldn't believe me but you insisted."

"Hey I never said you'd lost it, you're probably just having trouble finding it," he replied raising his hands defensively, "all I'm saying is that maybe you need some time off. Work and class make for a lot of stress, and maybe you might try to lay off the anime a little."

Opaaru pressed her lips together as 2,000 pages of random links popped up.

"What d'you know, Chichiri...you're _famous_," she stated as the webpage flickered on complete with soundtrack and collage, "strike that you're a god: 'Chichiri Shrine of Worship a place where we can all spew our undying loyalty to the bishiest monk Suzaku ever gifted.' Wow, sounds like you got a cult going on here. I wonder if I that makes me like an oracle or something."

"HA!" she flipped the monitor so Hakkai could see. "I've never seen this anime in my life! Still think I'm crazy?"

"Damn straight if you think anyone will take you up on the oracle deal," he replied dryly which earned him a swift bop to the head.

Chichiri on the other hand was stunned. He blinked and stared at the screen.

He blinked again.

He stared again.

Blink.

Stare.

Blink.

Stare.

Blink-blink.

"NANI NO DA??" the chibi monk cried as he ran around in little circles in the null-space. "How could this be?" What's going on no da?? Why?? What?? Who?? When?? Where no daaaaaa!!"

_You're not a very good god are you?_Opaaru teased, _especially if you didn't even know you had worshipers._

"What's going on no da?? Why?? What?? Who?? When?? Where no daaaaaa!!"

Opa snickered. _I think it's your turn to calm down... I mean it sounds like these people really REALLY like you,_ she teased.

Hakkai was less than amused or impressed. "Fushigi Yuugi is a shoujou that came out in the mid-nineties. We were like ten at the time, but its got quite a following so I wouldn't be surprised if you picked it up somewhere."

"But I haven't really watched any shoujou, much less one with him in it!" she protested.

"Ok fine, there's only one way to find out if he's really in your head then," Hakkai replied as he clicked on the bio page, "If what you say is true then there should be no way you can answer detailed questions about him. You called him Chichiri, but what's his real name? How old is he?"

"Anou..." she stared at Hakkai with a blank look on her face. "Let me ask him."

_Hey did you hear the question? He wants to know your real name and your age._

Chichiri snapped out of SD form, but tripped over the edge of his kesa in any case. Luckily, there was nothing to fall on in null-space so he simply drifted awkwardly for a few moments before he righted himself.

"Anou... My real name is Houjun Ri no da, and I'm currently twenty-six," he said.

Opaaru relayed the information to Hakkai while still noticing he was slightly distressed. _Hey are you ok?_

"Yes, I'm fine no da. It's just a shock that people know about me here, let alone..." he trailed off. The fact that so many people were... well, _obsessed_ with him was slightly disturbing. Not only that, the enormous question that threatened to crush him was: Did they know what he had done?

_Yes that would shock just about anyone. And to think this is just one of the 2000+ results I got..._ she giggled and mentally patted him on the head though she didn't know if he would feel it.

Hakkai frowned and handed back the computer to Opaaru. He was not really convinced, but he would play along. "So it's not entirely impossible," he murmured and leaned back. He had to do some serious pondering.

"Told ya I wasn't crazy," she said in sing song and took away the laptop and stared at the bio. There staring back at her and smiling in black and white manga glory was a maskless Chichiri. She inhaled sharply. With his mask he was cute in a stumbling kitten kind of way, but without it…

_Wow, just...WOW._

"'Just wow' what no da?" Chichiri asked a bit worried as he stared at the black and white image on the screen. It was him, more or less, but without his mask on. The mage suddenly felt cold and hot at the same time.

Opaaru felt herself blush. _Somehow I know that "I think I'm in love" isn't the answer you want to hear._ She shook her head and smiled. _You're not bad looking I'll give you that._

She scrolled down to see more information and Chichiri was surprised to realize he could read the strange writing. However the small feeling of wondered soon gave way to horror as he realized what they were reading. A shame he thought he'd conquered years ago ate at him anew. The monk had spent most of his life trying to hide his past and that scar, but there it was, laughing at him from the screen. Anyone in this reality could find out about his past. Thousands of people knew what he was… Opaaru would know.

"…please, Opaaru-chan, don't… please…" he begged meekly. He felt powerless, if she wanted to she would stop if not- Well, it had been interesting while it lasted.

Opaaru had been about to tease him a bit more but then she felt a strange vibe coming from him. Her fingers froze as something in his tone made her stop.

_What is it? Are you ok? What's wrong?_

"I... I'd just... rather you not find out about... certain things... at least, not that way..." he stammered knowing that the excuse was weak at best. If anything it probably made her even more curious about it.

Her hand lay over the touch mouse and somehow she could tell he was holding his breath. So far all she had gotten was his birthday, real name and constellation. It was painfully obvious he was hiding something. How was she supposed to deal with a stranger in her head that kept secrets? Was she to simply trust him blindly, going on the fact that he "looked like a nice person"? If only she were still that naïve! But then, what gave her the right to invade his privacy. He wasn't some made up character, not anymore. She bit her lip hoping she didn't regret her choice.

"Ok then, fair enough," she hit the back key and left the bio page. She would not pry, but eventually he would have to cough up some answers.

There were several links left on the page. Most of which, from her current knowledge of fandom, were utterly useless. Just then something caught her eye...

"Chichiri no Miko... hey who is that? Anyone you know?"

Hakkai watched Opaaru with detached interest. Maybe she would tire herself once she realized he wasn't paying attention to her.

"I don't know any 'Chichiri-no-Miko' no da. The only mikos I know are Miaka and Yui, and they both summoned their gods and departed our world no da," he replied while quietly breathing a sigh of relief. He knew he'd have to say something eventually, but for now... for now he was safe.

"Let's have a looksee..." she clicked on the link oblivious to Chichiri's relief. A badly drawn sketch of two girls popped, one glomping a very SD looking Chichiri and another clinging to a redhead with fangs. _Aw...it's a fan fic. These are hardly ever good._

She scanned through the fic mostly involving drooling and idolizing the monk and someone called Tasuki. She assumed it was the fanged redhead. _And then after the purification there is to be a summoning...what the?! HEY! This sounds like what we're trying to do!_

"Nani no da?" he asked clearly puzzled. She seemed to be right in that the story did seem to outline what was happening to him. Though whoever had written it had taken some liberties his description. He certainly did not think his neck was "slender and swanlike" nor his skin "pale alabaster". The author made him sound like his looks rivaled Hotohori's. And how the hell were Tasuki's fangs "sensitive"? An image of Tasuki shielding his mouth made him snort amusedly.

"Looks like we need something called the Universe of the Four Gods, a phoenix feather, a kasa, and a foil tessen whatever that is. After which I'm supposed to...erm...never mind," she sighed at the unoriginality and utter Mary-Sueness of the authoress' characters, like any self respecting monk would shag the first female he'd encounter… No, no, Chichiri was not that kind of person. At least he didn't _seem_ to be that sexually repressed.

"Oh hell no, I'm not going anywhere near there," she muttered under her breath before returning to the matter at hand, "Well like I said, these are rarely any good, but at least now we know what we're looking for. Guess I _am_kinda like your miko, what with the summoning you and all that."

"Anou, what now no da?"

"I have no idea," she admitted. They were at a dead end. "Maybe we should rent Fushigi Yuugi it could have some clues."

Hakkai rolled his eyes and sighed, "shouldn't you be getting home for hours of soul-crushing homework or something?"

"Nah, this is much more interesting," she grinned at him, "besides, procrastinating is my middle name."

"I could have sworn it was psycho," he quipped, "anyway, I thought you were taking the bus home today. The video place is on the other side of town, how are you going to…"

Opaaru smiled innocently at him with large pleading eyes.

"Oh no way," he replied immediately, "I got stuff to do."

"Oh come on Hakkai-kun! I'm sure once I get the gist of it, all of this will make sense!" she chirped.

"There is nothing I could see that will ever make your little outbursts ok," he muttered as he took out his wallet and left a tip. He was purposely ignoring her pleading stare but she didn't let up.

"Pleaaaase?"

"…" he was going to regret this, oh yes, he was regretting it now, "fine, one trip but after that's done, you've got to cut out your little prank got it?"

She knew it was useless to correct him so instead she snatched the keys from his hand. "THANKS HAKKIE! You're the bestest!"

"Hey wait! I didn't say…" he trailed off seeing how she was already out the door, "…you could drive. Oh lord I'm such a pushover." He inwardly moaned and trudged towards his car like a dead-man approaching the gallows.

Chichiri heard the conversation albeit distantly. He felt something nearby but the void made it hard to tell if the ki was familiar or not. Perhaps he was not alone in the non-space.

"Come on you!" Opa called out to her friend as she waved to him from the passenger's seat, "TO THE VIDEO PLACE ROBIN!"

"Huzzah," he replied completely devoid of enthusiasm.

* * *

Deep within the ancient mists of the void something stirred. That is to say, the creature's mind recovered some semblance of consciousness since his physical form was barely taking the physical appearance. Slowly, the ethereal life-form was rousing out of centuries of slumber. Something had triggered its awakening something new. A cold thrill ran though the feral mind: someone was in his void. The drowsy mind picked up the icy chill that seeped into his shifting bones. He missed Earth's sun; basking underneath it in his reptilian form. Alas he would never again enjoy such small pleasures.

He had been banished from Earth's heavenly realm and as if that weren't enough the pantheon had given him the charge of keeping this non-world void free of entities. It was his father's way of saying "and while you're down there, tidy up a bit will you?" He felt like a troll guarding a bridge more than the god he was, and all because he indirectly killed his younger brother. Some people could be so touchy.

The creatures in his realm were humans. Now those were fun. He'd whiled away many an millennia pitting the feeble-minded critters against each other. Oh how glorious, the gore, the savagery! Yes, he would actually make contact with these creatures instead of simply devouring them. He could take his human form but then whatever addle brained sorcerers had gotten themselves stuck in the void would get the idea that they were equals.

_No...Something with fur this time. I haven't been a manticore in a while..._, he yawned hoping to drive away the ever-present iciness of the void. A rich crimson pelt suddenly coated the forming creature. Four heavy feline paws materialized along with a golden segmented scorpion tail. A human torso glimmered into existence where the lion-like chest ended. Four iridescent dragonfly wings sprouted from his feline and humanoid shoulders.

Lazily he trotted towards the intruders, looking like an odd centaur through the mist. His human lips curled revealing sharp pointed fangs. His sharp gold eyes could spot a shape in the inky darkness. His forked tongue picked up the taste of his aura clearly.

_This should be entertaining_, he thought to himself as he savored the power emanating from the soul before him. _Mmm…tasty little morsel…_

**

* * *

**

A/N:

Wow that took longer than I thought. . You'd think I could write quickly considering the plot's already spelled out, but piecing together fragments was also very challenging. So here you are peoples. Let me just say this right now, I LOVE THE MANTICORE. Yes I played him in the original RPG and it was a BLAST. I hope you all learn to love his twistedness if not…meh I still –heart- him! XD

Tasuki enters in the next chappie! And we'll all have so much fun! X3

I live for Reviews, they fuel my creativity, so if you want another chap there's something you can do about it. REVIEW!! X3 Cookies for all who do!

**Next time on Tenrai:**

_The sea of flame struck him head on and the creature wasn't sure if the shock he felt was from the fact that the human had powers or because the man had used them against him. His eyes turned from gold to white. He had actually been polite and asked for information rather than tear it out of the bandit's hide. It was more than what any human deserved! Either way he had had enough. White eyes narrowed and the flames faded. __The crimson manticore then leapt at Tasuki. His claws, although not fully extended, pinned the impudent mortal to an invisible bit of ground. Crimson rivulets of blood spilled from the human's shoulders.__  
_

_"__You obviously have no idea who you're dealing with," the god said coldly, "I am son of the Zeus, and brother to Osiris. I am Suzano the wind, bringer of death to mortal and god alike. I am Mercury your guide to the underworld. I am Loki, father of death herself… and you, little creature, you will learn to fear me long before you breathe your last."_


	3. Pulling Heaven Down

A rich crimson pelt suddenly coated the forming creature. Four heavy feline paws materialized along with a golden segmented scorpion tail. A human torso glimmered into existence where the lion-like chest ended. Four iridescent dragonfly wings sprouted from his feline and humanoid shoulders.

Lazily the god trotted towards the intruders, looking like an odd centaur through the mist. His human lips curled revealing sharp pointed fangs. His eyes were a dead white and without pupils, nevertheless he could spot a shape in the inky darkness. His forked tongue picked up the taste of his aura clearly.

_This should be entertaining_, he thought to himself as he savored the power emanating from the soul before him. _Mmm…tasty little morsel…_

**Chapter 2 – Pulling Heaven Down**

"_I don't see myself when I look in the mirror  
I see who I should be  
I don't see myself when I look in your eyes  
Thank God for that_

_I don't see myself when I look cross the river  
I see where I should be  
I don't see myself when I look from the sky  
Thank God for that…"_

_**-In the Crossfire **by Starsailor_

Tasuki plodded down a winding mountain path staring at the scenery though bloodshot eyes. The sun was shining brightly overhead, birds were chirping joyfully, the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees… it was horrible. Theredhead had the hangover from hell, meaning he'd thoroughly enjoyed himself last night. He groaned as his horse began to trot faster down hill. Kouji barked out some orders causing half of the men to wince. Tasuki himself could only grunt in agreement.

Ok, so maybe having a kegger the night before a raid hadn't been such a great idea but in his defense it had been… um… that one guy's birthday. His name escaped Tasuki at the moment but despite that, a celebration had been in order!

_Why did I agree ta this?!_ he mentally grumbled, _it's not even a proper raid. It's just payment collection!_

Raiding had never been the same ever since he'd been proclaimed a national hero. People practically groveled for him to take their stuff . He liked to consider himself a criminal, but he drew the line at using his status for easy cash. Still, the villages in his turf knew who he was and they were more than happy to hand over anything he asked for… to his irritation, it almost always included a daughter or female relation of some sort. Ugh, he was NOT in the mood to deal with some clingy female with a screechy voice. He definitely regretted getting suckered into going down the mountain.

"Kouji, it could have waited!" he whined loudly and immediately regretted it. His head felt as if he'd jammed a chopstick into his brain. If Kouji answered Tasuki didn't hear it. Something gripped his insides and he lurched backwards. A wave of nausea washed over him, that, coupled with his hangover, caused him to topple off his horse. He hit the ground hard and turned a sick shade of green.

"I'm gonna be sick…" he moaned before the lurching jerked at him harder this time. He felt as if he were falling down a well the sunlight and trees falling farther and farther away. A cold wind struck his face soothing his nausea and he blissfully blacked out.

* * *

Opaaru lay down on her bed in her room her head lolling off the edge. The blood was rushing to it giving her a perpetual sort of blush. Hakkai, having given up on fighting her dementia, sat on a beanbag chair staring at the monitor showing Fushigi Yuugi.

Meanwhile, Chichiri sat cross-legged in the null-space silently examining his miko's strange bedchamber. There were framed images of strange men (he assumed) on the walls. One was dressed all in black and wore a pale grinning white mask but his eyes were black. They were shadowed behind the edge of his hat as he wielded daggers in both his hands. The mage now understood why some people found his mask unnerving. _But at least I don't carry knives around like that no da._

There was another picture of a similarly dressed man but he seemed less threatening. This man's mask only covered half his face, and seemed elegant albeit in a gothic sort of way. Now that he was paying closer attention, he saw a theme in Opaaru's décor.

_Masks and blades_, he chuckled nervously, _I seem to fit right it no da._

Chichiri then heard his voice coming from the demon slate. It was odd watching the story of Suzaku as a distant observer and kind of made him feel like a bug under glass. Suddenly, the overture for Phantom of the Opera erupted from somewhere inside Opaaru's jacket. The young woman reached for the discarded clothing and brought out a small phone. Chichiri looked on highly curious at the loud little apparatus. Amidst the vampiric organ and violin composition she checked the caller ID. It was her mother's phone number.

"Aw hell," she groaned. _I think I know that this is about._

She took a calming breath and answered the call. As expected a loud demanding voice yelled at her. She winced and smiled weakly.

"Hi mom, sorry I didn't call." She paused as a barrage of accusations hit her. "No mom, I'm ok. Sorry. I'm not with a guy or anything," she grinned wryly. _At least not in the traditional sense. _"I met up with Hakkai and he gave me a ride home. I forgot you were going to pick me up."

The petite woman on the other line continued to scold Opaaru much to her embarrassment. She was positive Chichiri was getting every little aspect of the conversation.

"Kay mom, love ya, see you in a while…" she cut in before hanging up

"Someone's busted isn't she?" Hakkai chirped in a sing song voice.

"Oh shut it," she muttered, "go bring us some cookies or whatever."

"Does your mom still bake those shortbread chocolate dipped thingies?" Hakkai gave asked with a lopsided grin as he stood up. He'd been intimately familiar with the well-stocked Ameron family pantry since he was six. They always kept some of the best stuff around.

"Moocher!" Opaaru called after him.

"You offered remember?" he answered.

"Daaa…" Chichiri sweatdropped, "your mother is an interesting woman."

_Oh come on, she's not that bad_, Opaaru blushed, _I'm sure yours is just as bad._

"My mother died when I was eighteen," Chichiri said softly. A weary sort of sadness came over him as he remembered his mother. Her voice had always been so soft and gentle. Her eyes… He shook the emotion off irritably. By now he'd have thought himself to be immune to such depressing thoughts.

Opaaru mentally kicked herself. It figured she would say something stupid. _I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have…_ she trailed off awkwardly.

"Anyway... This moving-picture-thing should be showing Tasuki soon! You'd probably like him too na no da!" he said, reverting back to his happy-go-lucky self.

Despite the unnatural manner in which he changed his tone Opaaru felt more at ease once he did. She wondered if that made her selfish. Her attention snapped to the anime as a loud pained scream burst from the speakers. Miaka had been pulled out of danger by a familiar silhouette…and then she bit Chichiri's hand.

"Holy- she bit you?!" Opaaru's jaw dropped as she righted herself.

A small smile crossed the monk's features at the nostalgic scene. He still had a faded crescent mark where the young girl had chomped on his skin.

Chichiri laughed quietly. "Yes, yes she did. She may have been weak, but she was always a fighter no da." He rubbed his hand between his thumb and index finger. "She had a strong bite, I can't deny that no da," he smiled.

_Considering how much food she puts away, I'd say she had plenty of practice. And you say you protected this girl?_ she asked a half way between incredulous and amused.

"It was our duty," he replied simply, "and, she really grew on you after a while. I somewhat miss her no da."

Opaaru felt a slight twinge of jealousy and something akin to bitterness. _It must be nice_, she privately thought, _to have a group of men born only to help you out in life. _

"Where is she now?" Opaaru asked.

The monk sighed. "Gone back to her world no da. She found Tamahome again, and they're together, in her world." He knew the phrase was repetitive, but he honestly didn't have much more to say. All seishi were close to the miko, some more so than others, but after the wars and slow reconstruction… Miaka's happiness seemed more like a bonus when compared to the big picture. Yes, the _dee-vii-dee_showed Tamahome and Miaka's love, and the brotherhood of seven seishi, but it was an unrealistic romanticized version. He doubted the device would show the long strife of rebuilding, and the overwhelming loss of human life. But he would not tell Opaaru of those things, it was enough that she got the glossy tale of love and heroism instead of the gritty, unappealing truth of the Konan/Kutou war.

"Happily ever after then," Opaaru chimed as she leaned back and pondered the workings of his kasa. "I need to get me one of those," she mused.

Chichiri blinked and then sweatdropped. "Eheh…I don't even want to know what you would do with one no da."

"Oh not you too, Mirror-chan, I'm crushed!" she replied in a mock hurt tone.

_Why I'd only use it to better mankind!_ she continued in a scandalized manner, _Of course a few trips into the Gold Reserve and several choice bedrooms would come first. It is interdimentional isn't it?_

"Anou… as long as you don't show up in my bedroom, I'll be fine no da."

Just then the screen showed as a Kutou assassin's attack was foiled by Chichiri. Her eyes grew wide as saucers and a slightly demented grin spread. _Dude, you're...FRIGGIN AWESOME!_

"You've officially made my 'Kick Ass' list right between Ichigo and Kakashi," she smiled, "ne, if I'm good could you teach me some moves? I've always wanted to do magic."

_Ichigo? Kakashi?_Chichiri mused. The names meant nothing to him, but her request made him wonder if that was even possible. She was just an ordinary girl. _…strictly ki-wise speaking, that is na no da._

"Hmm... well, I don't see why not no da. Of course, that all depends on whether I can teach it to you without any visual aids…" he said. His eye then widened and he hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Ore wa baka, na no da! I _can_show you visual aids no da!"

He concentrated and conjured up an image of his favorite place to meditate at the imperial palace in Konan. Opaaru felt a light pull and an image began to take form within her mind. It was like looking through a second set of eyes. She let the vision take over her senses and she was gracefully deposited in the middle of a garden.

"Wow..." she breathed at the beauty of the place. It was artificial nature at it's finest. Very beautiful, very extravagant and VERY expensive. It's function hindered only by it's priceless quality. _Like a dagger with a gold blade._ "You LIVE here?"

_That's one of the best analogies for manufactured beauty I've ever heard, _he stared curiously at Opaaru. Perhaps she had more depth than what he'd first thought. _Though in my defense, her first impression makes it really hard to tell no da._

"Ah, not exactly, no da. It's the imperial palace in Konan no da. I just... stay there sometimes," he explained.

Her mouth formed a little "oh" shape. Not too far off she saw the palace's buildings. Instantly her inner architect began assessing and categorizing the parts of the building.

_Post and beam… ranges from light to heavy timber…coated with a lacquer of some sort… egg based perhaps considering the time frame… ceramic shingles… crawlspace… birds carved out of the joists. The corridors are outside… tropical to light temperate climate. Cedar posts… __**solid **__cedar posts, gods they don't grow them like that anymore! Bamboo screen walls… are they dry set or attatched with nails? How do they keep the wood in the little gazebo from rotting with the lake water?_ Opaaru then realized she had been staring at the buildings and not her "teacher".

"Erm," she smiled sheepishly, "you were saying?"

Chichiri smiled knowing how she must feel in a completely alien environment. "So you can see me now no da?"

Opaaru realized he was right. She cocked her head as she saw him for the first time without being superimposed on her image.

"Heh, guess this means you can see me too now," Opaaru smiled, "you look taller than I thought. Soooo, someone promised me a magic lesson."

"I suppose I did, didn't I?" Chichiri laughed. Perhaps it was because they were in his favorite spot, or because he'd temporarily escaped the emptiness of the void, but he couldn't stop grinning. He sat down on a handy rock by the water, folding his legs into the lotus position and patted the rock beside him.

"Sit, breathe, relax no da," he said with a smile. "First you'll have to learn to free your mind."

Opaaru had the mental picture of someone looking like her, albeit slightly more deranged, running around with a bloody ax and laughing maniacally as chains trailed behind. She sweatdropped and bit her lip putting it from her mind. Chichiri though was trying very hard not to burst into laughter. He cleared his throat and closed his eye as if in concentration.

The girl sat down beside the monk crossing her legs Indian style and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and exhaled in the slow calculated manner she did every time before a fencing bout. Her shoulders unconsciously tensed awaiting a strike that would never land. Her fingers, deprived of sabre and laptop fiddled idly against the side of her hiking style shoes. She opened an eye and gave the monk a sidelong glance awaiting his next instructions.

Chichiri sighed, shaking his head. He could see that she wasn't relaxing. "Opaaru-chan, you need to relax or you'll never get anywhere no da. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and try to empty your mind of all conscious thought no da," he said, demonstrating. A slight hum broke through the silence as his ki flowed free and unrestrained.

"When I feel you're ready, we'll try some ki manipulation no da." It was nice, being back here. Even if it was just in his head. Or Opaaru's head? It didn't matter. The fact was that there was something besides the void for a little while. A slight smile tugged at the monk's lips. Maybe he could think of a way to keep this illusion going.

Opaaru furrowed her brow. She was relaxed, or at least as relaxed as she ever got. With another deep breath she closed her eyes. It's amazing how much junk your mind can accumulate after 20 years in a techno world. Just as she had phased out all thoughts, her brain began a tirade of Green Day's _Holiday _accompanied by random arcade noises. After battling with her mind for a few minutes she fell back somewhat frazzled.

_Oi...this is haaaard! My head's too full noise._

Just then she noticed there she had achieved radio silence. The key was not to try too hard. Opaaru lay there blinking at random intervals. She was afraid that sitting back would instantly sent her mental noise bubbling out once more.

Her ears picked up the lapping water somewhere nearby along with the song of a few birds. She closed her eyes once more and let the noises wrap around her. It felt nice, different but relaxing.

Chichiri opened his eye and glanced down at Opaaru. "Anou... don't fall asleep no da!" he laughed. "Alright... now... stay relaxed..."

He reached down beside him and picked up a pebble.

"Concentrate on the stone in my hand. Imagine that it has no weight at all, that it can float as easily as a bird na no da."

Opaaru slowly sat up and did as he asked. She had always had a sort of rampant imagination, so she focused that upon the pebble. The pebble could float. She closed her eyes as she felt the power of her mind. The pebble was light, light as a feather...no, lighter. Why shouldn't it be?

_9.3..._ Her eyes snapped open and she battled between beliefs. The pebble is floating... falling up… _But gravity is pulling at it at a rate of 9.3 meters per second_, a snide voice replied and instantly her concentration snapped.

"Shimatta," she growled, "Physics 101 is against me!"

Chichiri had felt the pebble lighten and almost lift off the palm of his hand! But her concentration had suddenly snapped.

"Umm... try not to think about this 'physics' na no da. You almost had it," he said encouragingly.

Opaaru stared at Chichiri. It was kind of cute how he was totally oblivious to modern science.

"Physics is the science that tells you how the world works and why things happen. It sort of...rationalized the world. Made things neat and defined by perfect little equations; and took the magic out of them. It's amazing at times, but, well, it makes accepting unexplainable things much harder," she sighed, "like right now, I know pebbles can't float because the earth pulls down on it at a set rate. I can sort of fight it but then again I'm... an exception."

Opaaru mumbled the last part. She took another deep breath, and focused. Even if she couldn't destroy the laws, maybe she could find a way around them. She wracked her brain. There was no doubt gravity existed, but then the density could be completely different. It could be like pumice stone, no heavier than a feather.

_That still wouldn't make it float._ There had to be a force holding up the object. What was there? Her will? The world suddenly brightened. Quantum mechanics. We shape the world through our perceptions. _We are only limited by what we define as true._ A wild torrent of information flowed into her brain all of it bolstering her efforts. _The pebble floats, because I say it does._

_Y'know, I think I'm_ _**glad**_ _I don't know any of this "physics"_, Chichiri mused while he watched the pebble start to shake slightly. Suddenly the small bit of stone shot off his hand straight up into the air and a good three feet overhead. There was a little gasp of surprise from the monk. Chichiri's eye widened beneath the mask. He hadn't expected her to be able to levitate the pebble so soon! It was impressive that she had even been able to make it move, let alone float at a steady height!

"That's very, very good Opaaru-chan! Anou, how are you doing it no da?" he asked.

"I sort of found a loophole in the laws," she smiled, "there's this odd new research that pretty much says that if you honestly believe something is true, then it is. The opposite is also true. People find it easier to think they're powerless." She then realized she was getting into a Sociological rant so she clipped it, "Granted it's a little mad, but then you can't argue with results."

"Mad, ne?," Chichiri laughed, "Demo, I think I understand no da."

He looked around himself, out over the lake to the forest. "We've been here long enough. We'll have more lessons later, if you wish no da," he said with a warm smile.

His gentle tone and expression made Opaaru's stomach do flip flops. Nevertheless, she realized he was right. It had to be some sort of record, she had interacted with a new person and he had yet to call her crazy and run away. _Not that'd he'd get very far. But he's so easy to talk to._

"Yeah, I think you're right, Hakkai might start noticing I've spaced out," she perked up at the promise of new lessons, "And maybe next time I'll show you something."

He held out his hand as the landscape began to dissolve into black. "It's a deal no da!"

Opaaru reached out and just as her hand touched his, the world around them disappeared. Her eyes refocused on the real world. Out in the hall she could hear Hakkai coming up the stairs, most likely loaded with pilfered goodies. She then realized that Chichiri had probably remained trapped in that darkness that had replaced the beautiful illusion. She couldn't imagine being in his situation.

"Daijobou Opaaru-san," he replied getting the gist of her thoughts, "I can see through your eyes just fine na no da!"

_Well yeah but still… hey do you think it's possible for you to come to my world? I mean if you concentrated enough do you think you could?_

"Worth a try," he replied thoughtfully as he leaned back in the void, "I may have to use a little of your ki to manifest, but I don't think I'll drain you too much no da."

He concentrated, mahogany eye half-closed as he imagined himself outside the void. The darkness began to lighten, as if it were being stretched thin all around him. A second later the light brightened to a hot white before dimming down to the soft warm glow of lamplight. He turned to Opaaru and smiled. "How are you feeling no da?" he asked, stretching slightly enjoying the feeling of the bed beneath him.

It was good to have something solid supporting his weight. The world felt real again, even the air was not hollow but had the faint scent and texture of sandalwood from a nearby incense holder.

Opaaru felt slightly light headed at the transition, but it was worth it to see the expression of relief on the manifested seishi.

"I'm fine but…you're see-through," she reached out and touched his kesa. Instead of her fingers slipping through, Opaaru felt a light resistance. If she put enough strength into it Opaaru was certain she could stick her hand through the ghostly man, but she didn't want to run the risk of hurt him.

"Whoa, you're actually here," she continued poking him as if that would help her accept it more.

"Hey, that tickles no da!" he laughed as he batted her hand away. The mage looked down at himself and noticed he was indeed transparent. He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... Well, see-through is better than nothing no da. Anou, it would be best if you didn't move for a moment while our ki stabilizes."

Suddenly there was a loud clatter as Hakkai froze at the doorway and dropped a tin of cookies. One of the sweet pastries was stuck halfway out of his lips as his eyes widened incredulously. Chichiri, the same man he had seen not five seconds ago on the screen was talking to Opa. It was like looking at a ghost. Hell, it WAS a ghost!

"Opahruh!" he cried out and choked as he inhaled crumbs. Opaaru and Chichiri sweatdropped.

"Uh, yeah," she mumbled, "that's Hakkai for you."

"Oh gods! Opaaru get away from that thing!" her friend managed to hack out as he grabbed her arm and yanked her towards the door. The miko was pulled to her feet but stumbled at the sudden motion.

Chichiri couldn't say or do anything, he was so shocked that this boy could see him. How could that be? He'd never even entertained the idea that others besides Opaaru would be aware of his existence. So he sat there, mute, feeling a sudden cold shock jar his ki as Hakkai pulled away his only tie to this world or any other. Fear gripped his heart like an icy claw as he felt his energy distort and wobble as if on unsteady legs. What if he died? Or worse, what if he simply ceased to exist and disappeared?

"Opaaru…?" the seishi managed to squeak.

* * *

Within the void, the manticore leapt at Chichiri from behind. The beast's talons had all but closed around the glowing aura when the monk suddenly winked out of existence. Pearly eyes widened as he stumbled to a halt. The mage had left the void…

"The human has escaped this prison…" he murmured with considerable admiration though all the while keeping a cold frost to his words. A thousand thoughts filled his mind all of them tempting him with the promise of freedom. He would feel the wind on his face and the sun on his back once more.

_If only I had captured the transient being at once,_he sighed wearily. Ki levels surged not far from where he stood as a second human popped into existence. He summoned a gray path and bounded after the aura, lest it vanish as the first one had. Ivory eyes focused on the man newly arrived. Judging by his clothes he was from the orient, though his bright red-orange hair was unusual in those parts. The god wrinkled his nose in disapproval. This man's aura was weaker that the first's and by no means looked like a magician. Still, if there was a chance that he could escape his imprisonment, the kami would not overlook it.

Tasuki had been drifting off into slumber but there was something about being in this no-space that toyed with his mind. He heard the sounds of battles long ago echo in the stillness. His friends, now deceased, called out to him as steel clashed against sword, and armor, and bone, and tissue… _Nuriko… Come back,_ he silently called out to the ethereal voices. _Chiriko, I'm here. Too slow… why? Why can't I move? There's so much blood…_

He sat up with a start gasping for breath as if the blackness had become viscous and tried to drown him. He blinked disoriented as he saw the darkness had been replaced with a gray foggy sort of light. There was a ground of some sort beneath him but his surroundings were overshadowed by the large crimson and gold creature observing him.

"Good morning, fretful dreams?" it asked in a deep rumbling voice, "I'm afraid that's a side effect of being _literally_ nowhere. My, but you are so very far away from home aren't you? Where did you come from?"

Now Tasuki prided himself in his ability to cope with monsters, but when faced with a half lion, half human, half scorpion (Now that was three halves wasn't it?) he did what any normal person would do.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" the redhead screamed as he pointed his tessen at the creature. His eyes all but bulged out of his head.

The beast's iridescent wings flicked in annoyance at the lack of groveling and overall reverence. Yet other than that, he made no other motions.

"I am a superior being, my current form is called Set" he replied coldly as his crimson lion paws flexed revealing the tips off-white ivory claws. He was showing an uncharacteristic level of restraint towards someone he could easily snap in two, "As I am a superior being, Lord Set will do. But since you show a lower level of intelligence than what I am used to, I'll keep it simple. WHO are YOU and how did YOU get HERE?"

Tasuki gave the creature a wary glance. He honestly didn't think it was such a good idea to provoke the creature, but he also didn't like anyone speaking him in that tone. In the end pride won out over reason.

"Superior bein' my ass!" he snapped, "Looks like you were just slapped t'gether at the last minute. Either that or yer dad was one lonely guy."

The manticore stared at Tasuki through half lidded eyes. Veiled threats of a thousand horrible things glistened in that white gaze. "You must be a very suicidal or very stupid little man."

Tasuki's eyes narrowed and tightened his grip on his diamond tessen. "Fuck off! REKKA SHINNEN!" he yelled and a wall of flames spilled out like a tidal wave.

The fiery surge struck Set engulfing him in a roaring vortex. He wasn't sure if the shock he felt was from the fact that the human had powers or because the man had used them against him. White pearly eyes became tinged with an enraged crimson. He had actually been polite and asked for information rather than tear it out of the bandit's hide. It was more than what any human deserved! Either way he had had enough. Pale eyes cut through the flames and ripped the whirlwind apart. In an instant the holy fire was gone.

The crimson lightning then leapt at Tasuki. His claws, although not fully extended, pinned the impudent mortal to an invisible bit of ground. Blood spilled in crimson splatters as the god brought his weight down upon the pinned bandit.

"You obviously have no idea who you're dealing with," he stated in a soft rumble, "I am son of the Zeus, and brother to Osiris. I am Suzano the wind, bringer of death to mortal and god alike. I am Mercury your guide to the underworld, and Set bringer of light."

Tasuki yelped and struggled but only managed to get the ivory claws deeper into his flesh. For the first time in years, Tasuki felt dread eat at his heart. The manticore was unscathed, not one crimson hair was singed. If possible the seishi's eyes widened all the more. _This thing really is a kami?! Holy Suzaku!_

The heavy paws held him firmly. The seishi then felt a cold presence in his mind and shuddered. It was like something was driving an icicle into his brain.

"LET GO! LET ME GO YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!" he screamed as the pain blossomed in his forehead and chiseled deep into his head. All the worse was the fact that the beast held his gaze, and though he tried to look away from the frosty eyes the power was beyond him.

_**Welcome to Abyss...Tasuki…**_The savage voice crackled all around him raking his skin with invisible talons. The manticore pulled the information slowly and deliberately. It had been a long time since he had put a human in his place, and he was going to enjoy it.

"You're a bandit!" the god purred, "Given your profession, I would expect a little more venerance for the god of thieves lest I cease to smile upon your deeds."

Tasuki lay very still as the creature spoke to him. The fact that it was pulling information from his mind was enough proof that it was indeed a deity. _Dammit…Get it off me…anyone…get it off me!_A flash of memory seeped through the mental wound and he saw a familiar smiling face. He hadn't seen Chichiri in so long, and perhaps now he would never see the cheerful magician again. _Shimata…Ch'chiri, if you can hear me… help… help me…_

Darkness crept into the edges of his vision and there was only that dead gaze staring into his soul. He couldn't stand to watch those eyes any longer.

"Stop…I'll tell ya anything, just… get outta my head," he winced as he attempted to form a coherent sentence.

"Oh I think we've long since passed that," the deity murmured as he dug his claws into his flesh ever so slightly. "But I suppose I could show a little generosity. If you care to volunteer the information, I'll gladly listen. I already know who you are Which of the gods do you belong to? Who is Chichiri?" His white pupil-less eyes remained fixed upon Tasuki, "and I strongly suggest you don't lie to me."

Tasuki shuddered as the iciness piercing his mind receded. He took a moment to gather his thoughts as tried not to think about the points embedded in his shoulders. It was easier said than done.

"Suzaku the beast god of Konan, I'm a Suzaku seishi," he said but balked at the thought of putting his friend in any danger, "Chichiri isn't important, he's no one just a friend."

At the mention of Suzaku the manticore retracted his claws and stepped back. He had an empty expression on his face. _It's not possible, they can't be Suzaku's._

"Liar!" he hissed and took a mental stab at him causing the seishi to collapse down against the pseudo ground with a yelp. A quick view into the bandits mind revealed the truth, "…but there it is... the great crimson chicken himself."

Set jerked his head and released the bandit. "How long have you been here?"

Tasuki stiffly sat up and grabbed his shoulder stemming some of the flow. The scratches didn't seem life threatening though they hurt like hell. He didn't understand why the manticore was suddenly angry but he would make damn certain he didn't provoke it anymore.

"I've been here fer about a day," the seishi replied visibly cowed by the aggressive creature. Despite his usual denseness, Tasuki felt this Set creature was not someone to mess with.

"Suzaku…is permanently unavailable and so can't come to help you," the manticore finally said after a long pause. "You'd be better off giving you allegiance to me."

"I can't do that," Tasuki replied in soft defiance.

"It makes more sense for you to honor and abide the god of thievery than the god of love," the beast gave a short bark of laughter, "what's love ever done for you?"

"More than you," the redhead suddenly spat.

"Yes well, great pity Suzaku's dead now then isn't it? I wonder if this makes you a sort of orphan? Exactly what kind of person dies via pointy stick anyway? Humiliating way to go…" he trailed off thoughtfully.

Tasuki stared up at the beast. Suzaku was dead. Impossible! He had seen him, in Miaka's world. HE HAD! Set had to be lying there was no other way! Yet despite his inner turmoil, the beast's next words gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Ah well theology gets us nowhere, on to a more interesting subject. Why don't you tell me more about Chichiri," he purred, "your memories of him are _fascinating_."

* * *

"Opaaru…?"

Somehow Opaaru caught all of Chichiri's emotion and panic in that one word. The miko responded automatically by shrugging off Hakkai's grip.

"Hakkai you idiot, you're scaring him," Opaaru scolded her friend, "Sheesh you drama queen!"

"That thing is the ghost and _I'm_ scaring _it_?!" he protested.

The girl rolled her eyes before taking a seat beside Chichiri once more. "Sorry about that, he's usually not this excitable," she apologized placing a hand on the mage's shoulder.

Chichiri immediately felt his ki stop flickering like a candle and then stabilize. He gave her a look of sheer relief though his mask probably prevented her from catching it. "It's okay no da, I didn't think he would be able to see me. I guess we should have warned him. Anou, konnichiwa no da, my name is Chichiri and I promise I mean you no harm na no da," he smiled at Hakkai and offered him his hand. Miaka had taught him that handshaking was more customary than bowing in her world.

Hakkai eyed the hand as if he were being offered a live cobra and twitched. Chichiri blinked and tilted his head. Had he offended the man? Perhaps handshaking was a rude gesture here.

"Oh come on Hakkai, stop being such a twonk! Chichiri's being nice to you!" Opaaru snapped and that seemed to revive him.

"Opa, have you gone completely insane!" his voice bordered on hysterical, "He's see-through and in _our _world. Damn it you actually BROUGHT him into our world! Who knows what he's capable of, and you're here acting like it's normal!"

Chichiri sweatdropped. _He does know I can hear him right no da?_

"Will it help if I promise on my honor as a celestial warrior of Suzaku _not_to use my powers on any of you no da?" he asked with a sigh.

"No," Hakkai replied bluntly as he glared at the monk. Life had taken a step out of the normal. Well in reality it was more like Life had bought a 4x4 off road vehicle and driven out of normal and off a cliff. Either way he didn't like it. The boy was happy with the ordinary and any deviation put him in a snappish mood.

"Hakkai you need to relax," she told him, "Chichiri's not going to hurt me or anyone else. He could have done so already, I mean he HAS been in my head all this time."

"This whole thing is impossible!" he exploded before taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Chichiri tilted his head with a puzzled look on his face. Was he really that frightening?

"Sorry about this, he gets edgy when strange stuff happens," Opaaru apologized to the mage before turning to give her friend a saccharine sweet smile. "Hakkai, you're acting like a psycho. Now are you going to be sensible about this, or am I going to have to throw you out the window?"

He blinked at Opaaru. She had that predatory smile which he hated, and said window was a good ten feet off the ground. Well given those two choices, he just might get to be more open minded after all.

"Daaa, Opaaru-san, it's ok na no da!" the monk interceded before his miko resorted to violence. "It's just a new experience, I've never been feared before na no da!"

"I am not afraid of you!" snapped Hakkai defensively.

"Then WHAT is your problem?!" she sighed exasperatedly.

"I…he…has blue hair…" Hakkai mumbled as he trailed off.

Opaaru gave her friend a pointed look punctuated by a long pause. Chichiri held back a soft chuckle lest he insult Hakkai's swiftly vanishing dignity. Just then the front door slammed shut as someone entered.

"And that would be my cue…" muttered Hakkai as he turned to the doorway expectantly.

"Nani?" the mage chirped.

"It means my parents are home," Opaaru replied choosing her words carefully. She wondered if Chichiri fit under her bed. Surely there was no right way to explain to your folks that some transdimentional traveler had come into your life and was now going to practically live with you. The fact that Chichiri happened to be male did not make matters any easier. Granted Hakkai was also male, but he didn't count.

Chichiri would have been more worried about meeting up with his miko's father if he knew the kind of man he was up against. However, there was something else niggling at the back of his head. Some little thread of emotion was tugging at his subconscious making his entire ki twitch ever so slightly. Chichiri drew a deep breath and froze as slowly a pain bloomed in his chest its delicate strands taking root in the deep crevices of his soul. It was the sixth time he'd felt anything like it and it caused his symbol to flare in his anxiety. _Tasuki's in danger!_He closed his eye beneath the mask and sought the bandit's ki.

Opaaru felt a surge of dread which caused her to glance at Chichiri. It was impossible for her to know how, but the girl felt the worry emanating from the seishi beside her as keenly as if it were her own. Her hand reached out tentatively but before her fingertips had brushed the bubbled kesa, Chichiri's jerked out of his trance-like state and stared at Opaaru's outstretched hand as if it were something alien.

Chichiri took a steadying breath but the pain intensified.

"I… I have to go," he stated softly before fading away.

Opaaru retracted her hand feeling for all the world like a child who'd been rebuked for attempting to touch a priceless vase. Before she could form a reply he was gone; dissolved back into the mist of her psyche.

"Well that was rude," Hakkai drawled. He was completely aware he'd missed something, but that didn't mean he had to be nice, "you really know how to pick them."

"Shut up," she scowled, "he had issues to take care of."

"Mhmm, you should know all about guys with issues, you date them right?" he retorted impishly.

"Get out of my room!" she thundered.

"Joking I swear!" he yelped but she was already kicking him out.

* * *

The immortal beast stood over Tasuki his claws spattered with crimson blood. He was hissing softly all the while keeping the bandit pinned with it's great paws.

"It doesn't have to be this way," he rumbled, "you could just tell me what I want to know. Tell me about Chichiri…"

"Go… go t' hell," Tasuki spat.

The answered struck a nerve and Set opened his jaws in an angry roar.

"You have no idea what _**hell**_is frail little dust mote!" he snarled and sharply impaled the redhead's mind with his will. Memories, thoughts, information poured out like water from a shattered dam, and the manticore absorbed them all.

Another presence suddenly began to manifest itself. The manticore's forked tongue flickered out. The aura tasted like Tasuki's. _Another one of Suzaku's, but much stronger._ He fixed his gaze where a silhouette flickered into existence before solidifying.

"Chichiri I presume," Set stated smoothly and he smiled revealing pointed teeth, "yes, you would be he. If I were Tasuki, I'd call for your aid. I take it you are his leader. Ah, and here you tell me Tasuki-kun, that he was not important…" He stared at the redhead with empty eyes. "Did you lie to me Tasuki? I'm hurt, I thought we were beyond petty betrayals what with our closeness…"

The monk had not realized what a terrible situation he had stepped into, but this creature was hurting his friend, the last of his fellow seishi. Chichiri would not let the past repeat itself. He would not let Tasuki die.

"He doesn't lie," Chichiri said, his voice low and carrying a sharp edge, "I'm no more important than any of my brother seishi."

The mage's mind raced. He had to keep him talking. That was the plan, keep him talking until he found a way to get this demon away from his friend. The powerful aura radiating from the monster was intimidating but there had to be a weakness somewhere…

_Wait... what is that there? It looks like..._ A thin line was coming from the center of the manticore's head. _A spell._Chichiri followed it with his senses, trying to determine it's effect. His eye suddenly opened and his symbol flared. Rage and disgust erupted in the monk's soul as he realized what the spell was doing.

_NO! Nonononononono!_

Chichiri acted completely on instinct, casting a powerful counter spell to repulse the thing's mind from that of Tasuki. He realized that may have been a mistake a fraction of a second later, but it was too late. All he could do now was skate the razor's edge, and hope to hell he didn't cut himself.

Set had half expected the mage's reaction, but he was not worried. Celestial warrior or not, it was not within his power to scatter a kami's spell. The ki blade shattered and the spell thrummed, as solid and unbreakable as steel cord.

The creature nodded sagely. Yes, Chichiri was definitely stronger, and his power had the phoenix's markings all over him. It was undignified for a god to yield to a mortal, he would release Tasuki on his terms. Although bravery and boldness were hardly something he valued, there was something to be said about someone who dared strike a god...or at least attempted.

"I think," the manticore said casually as he stepped aside and his lion half relaxed and lay down, "you don't give yourself enough credit Chichiri. From what I gather, Tasuki has you in very high esteem, infallible even."

The spell now seemed more like a leash. Tasuki groaned unable to form a coherent thought.

"I also think, we have many things to discuss, Chichiri," Set stated with a predatory grin. He relished speaking the mage's name as it created the illusion of power over the weaker being. There was much work to be done, and much amusement to be had…

* * *

-Commentary-

Y'know it's a lot harder condensing an RP into fifteen pages. Yes it was fifteen pages and I basically skimmed the important parts of 60 pages RPG wise. X-X Oi, I needs to type faster.

So yeah, I spoke with the guy who RP-ed Hakkai recently and he (among others) egged me on with this fanfic. Mostly -I believe- because he was bored as hell in a train station with nothing to read. I dedicate this chap to him, his new bride to be and Inuphantom, the only reviewer and most loyal fan. MUCH LURVE TO YE!

This is the beginning of the Kami in the Void arc starring Set. I will save some of the Set fangirling for later, mostly because it'll make me come off as narcissistic but also I want ya'll to get to know him better. Originally Hakkai was a miko but for the sake of simplicity he got demoted to supporting cast in the fanfic. I mean come on, who needs a Soi-no-miko anyways! -snicker- And yes I know I will get nothing but hate mail from the Tasuki mind rape, but he's a tough cookie, he'll live!

Tasuki: -vacant stare drool-

Um... I can fix that. 0-0;

Ironically, Tasuki the women hater went through two mikos 'cause the first one got bored and vanished. So while he will have a most entertaining miko, it will be later on in the fic. Around this time in the RP we were mostly getting a feel for each player's writting style... Lots of randomness ensued since we had midnight yahoo messenger sessions. -sigh- Some times I miss those nights _muchly_, but then we all grow up sometime ne? Too bad I stayed a immature as ever.

As always reviews are welcomed and ADORED.

-Jaa Ne Minna! :)

Next time in Tenrai...

* * *

Chichiri had just begun to frame his mouth around a question when searing pain blossomed along his entire body. He fell to his knees with a gasp, his throat tightening in agony, keeping him from emitting more than a groan. He stared at the ground, eye wide and unseeing.

_Wh-what's happening??_

It felt like he was being consumed by flames from the inside out. Emotions that weren't his own began barraging his senses. Fear, anger, nausea... Chichiri clutched at his stomach and began retching. Something was wrong... something was really, really wrong...

_Opa...aru... please..._

His vision began to blacken around the edges, and the agony threatened to rend his soul apart.

_... help me... Opaaru..._

The mage distantly heard Tasuki yelling.

"Chichiri! Damn it what's wrong?! Chichiri! Oh gods, oh gods please don't die!"

Chichiri collapsed and everything went dark.


End file.
